A Federal High Court in Kano has ordered the Kano State government to deposit within seven days a sum of N30 billion charge awarded against it over unlawful demolition of structures and property at Kofar-Mata Eid-ground in the state.

Justice Simon Amobeda at the hearing of the motion on stay of execution moved by the state government, yesterday, held that while he would not dismiss the motion on stay, ordered the debtors/applicants to pay the N30 billion judgment sum into the court’s interest-yielding account to be obtained from the Deputy Chief Registrar of the court within the specified timeline.

The court ruled that the deposited sum, along with accruing interests and after deducting administrative charges, would be paid to the party who succeeds in the appeal as determined by the Deputy Chief Registrar of the court.

Reacting to the court’s ruling, the state’s Attorney-General (AG) and Commissioner for Justice, Haruna Dederi, expressed dissatisfaction with Justice Amobeda’s ruling.

He insisted that the government had already taken further steps to appeal the decision at the Appeal Court, saying that there is no reason to worry over the seven days’ notice.

Dederi, who described the ruling of Justice Amobeda as giving a cake with the right hand and taking it over with the left hand, said the government was not satisfied with the ruling of the lower court and would rather move on with the appeal.